The MARTINSBURG FORUM was held on Tuesday, May 18, 1999. The moderators were Sheriff William Senseney; Henry W. "Bucky" Morrow, Mental Hygiene Commissioner; and Dr. Fred Donovan, Director of William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital. There were twenty-eight people in attendance and ten of those addressed the Commission with their concerns and comments. The main speakers focused on the need to decriminalize the commitment process (make it less adversarial and more treatment oriented), the lack of resources and personnel for mental hygiene law enforcement and facilities, and the request for a community facility. Other issues addressed were the difficulty sheriffs had transferring the mentally ill when they weren't correctly trained to do so, the limited number of hospital beds, lack of appropriate training for the court and hospital personnel, the need to maintain 24 hour/day services and crisis units, and the lack of facilities for adolescents. Among those who spoke were Assistant Prosecutor Chris Quesenart, and Mental Hygiene Commissioners Bob Burkhardt and Tracy Williams.

Held on Wednesday, May 19, 1999, the MORGANTOWN FORUM was moderated by Prosecuting Attorney Marsha Ashdown from Monongalia County and Attorney Jerry Stone. Out of the forty-three people who attended the meeting, seventeen spoke, including Helen Matlick, Project Director for the West Virginia Mental Health Consumer Association; Mental Hygiene Commissioner Howard Higgins; Mark Music, Regional Manager at Valley Mental Health Center; Chris McClelland, President of the Morgantown branch of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI); and Mary Raymond, Chair of the Public Policy Committee for the Mental Health Association. Lack of funding for and inadequate staffing in mental hygiene programs and hospitals, and the lack of consistency and quality among service providers were the main concerns voiced by speakers at this forum. Also addressed was the need for decriminalization of the commitment process, the overloading of hospitals, the need for better training for court and hospital staff, the deficiency of substance abuse treatment programs, the difficulty involved in becoming voluntarily committed, the need for community facilities and peer counseling, problems getting treatment for adolescents, complications with dual diagnosis commitment, and the desire for better hospital staff communication to patients and their parents.

The Commission on Mental Hygiene Reform held the BECKLEY PUBLIC FORUM on Monday, May 25, 1999. Attorney Kent Bryson, of the West Virginia Advocates, moderated the forum which was attended by thirty-three people. Among the ten speakers at the forum were Mental Hygiene Commissioner Harold Wolf; Elizabeth McCullough, State President of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI); Psychologist Greg Bolland; and the Hon. Larry V. Starcher, Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Seven speakers strongly suggested switching from a legal to a medical model to decriminalize the commitment process, and five people said there was a need for round-the-clock services and crisis intervention teams. Other issues included concern about the inconsistent effort of attorneys, the need for better training for court and hospital staff, the lack of a voluntary commitment procedure, and the need for adolescent facilities.

The CHARLESTON PUBLIC FORUM was held on Tuesday, May 26, 1999. Moderators were Dr. Dallas Bailey of the Governor's Cabinet on Children & Families, and Attorney Jane Moran. There were forty-seven people in attendance. Among the sixteen speakers were Kanawha County Mental Hygiene Commissioner J.H. Crewsdon; Laurie Roberts, Director of Operations at the West Virginia Mental Health Consumer Association; and Tom Rodd, Law Clerk for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. The most frequently heard complaint at the Charleston Forum was the criminal nature of the involuntary commitment process; nine people suggested moving toward a medical model. Also, four people said that round-the-clock service and crisis intervention was needed for the commitment program, and that the lack of a voluntary commitment procedure was a serious problem. Additional issues mentioned at the forum included: lack of funding, inadequate facilities, need for better hospital and court staff training, and the need to modify the dangerousness standards (patients not able to receive treatment until they go so far as to become dangerous).